If the word pirate conjures images of Blackbeard or Jack Sparrow, consider yourself lucky. Today, for a growing number of meeting planners and associations, the term has a dramatically different—but no less chilling—meaning. Room block poachers are modern-day scalawags that prey on unsuspecting organizations in an equally insidious way as pirates of old. The actions of these pilferers have negative impact on hotel room blocks, resulting in headaches for planners including lost revenue and possible attrition penalty nightmares. Not all of these activities are illegal, but they most all live on the ethical edge. These scoundrels will reach out by fax, email & phone. They have been known to use meeting logos on official-looking websites & registration forms or otherwise imply that they are “official” housing representatives or suggest that official blocks are sold out. Learn how to counter this growing issue both legally and pragmatically. Unauthorized solicitations need to be dealt with swiftly and effectively. People who are burned generally blame the organization and its leadership for not warning them.

Learner Outcomes:

• Gain powerful insight from Convention Industry Council APEX research into the industry-wide effects of poaching on our industry, who is affected and how. Get latest updates on pending legislation to curb consumer fraud activities.
• Identify the various ways poachers can adversely affect your workload, reputation & budgets, through pilfering of hotel rooms and other revenue opportunities from your event.
• Access tools and learn best practices to alleviate this growing problem.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management 

The Bataclan Paris. Pulse Nightclub Orlando. Nice Bastille Day. Fort Hood Army Base. Inland Regional Center San Bernardino. The Boston Marathon. Terrorism and active shooters. Is it just a matter of time before a Meetings and Event Industry Conference appears in similar horrific headlines? What about civil unrest, controversial legislation and weather-related catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, the Nashville flood, Atlanta tornado? These, and other equally disruptive forces may be beyond our control but defining the role of the meeting owner or event organizer in assuring that their participants are informed and as safe as possible is not. We can't prevent every risk scenario, but shouldn't we prepare for threats even as we hope they never occur?

Learner Outcomes:

• Comprehend the magnitude of attendee safety issues - it is not just about terrorism or active shooters.
• Collaborate with suppliers and partners to customize safety tips for your event.
• Acquire resources to aid in creating plans for multiple events.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management

You need to find a home for your meetings where the design, operation and services provided compliment your goals and help ensure you meet required outcomes. Consider 20 global innovations that you can experience today in meetings-focused venues that will help you reach your goals and objectives.

Learner Outcomes:

• Understand what lies beyond typical function rooms and how easy it is to provide a real wow experience at your meetings.
• Consider the importance of providing the right spaces outside of the meeting room, as well as in.
• Build your understanding of alternative meeting room styles and how delegates of different generations behave in these environments.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management 

Although performance clauses like attrition and cancellation are challenging, it is sometimes the other clauses that create the biggest challenges. And beware to the group that overlooks them! Addressing issues like indemnification, construction and remodeling, conflicting in-house groups, surcharges and fees, assignment, and more, this session will help prepare you for trends that are affecting meetings and, by extension, meeting contracts.

Learner Outcomes:

• Know what to ask for and how to deal with pending construction and remodeling that may not have been on the radar at the time of contracting.
• Assess the effects of the current environment on contract negotiations—including everything from drone photography to the latest surcharges and fees being levied by hotels.
• Learn how to address in the contract the environmental and altruistic issues of concern to the meeting organizer and its attendees.

1 Clock Hour | Domain C: Risk Management 

Performance clauses like attrition and cancellation are challenging to negotiate and sometimes expensive to exercise. Force majeure is the very definition of a “grey area.” Using provided scenarios as well as examples from the audience, we’ll talk about the law that supports (and doesn’t support) common contract language and minor changes in wording that can yield huge dividends in protection.

Learner Outcomes:

• Evaluate attrition clauses to ensure you are getting credit for all you should be, and that you aren’t paying more than the hotel is legally entitled to in attrition fees.
• Apply the principle of mitigation to performance clauses and understand why it is fine to ask for something you may not be legally entitled to.
• Modify force majeure clauses with a time element to allow adequate opportunity to relocate a meeting if necessary.

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning 

New data collection and analysis tools are making serious headway into events and exhibitions. As planners make many onsite technology choices, they can use them to add value to marketing campaigns—and a significant voice to C-suite conversations. Learn how to examine these trends and explore how they can be integrated to assist marketers, improve the attendee experience and to improve future events.

Learner Outcomes:

• See the range of event data gathering options including wearable beacons, specialized mobile apps, sentiment analysis tools and more to gain insight on attendee behavior and engagement.
• Understand how analytic techniques and marketing automation systems are being used to make sense of these data to improve marketing, to increase attendee engagement and to increase attendance.
• Receive numerous links, ideas and tools that will assist in understanding these issues.

1 Clock Hour | Domain H: Site Management 

The way people interact has changed, a lot! This includes their interactions at meetings and events. Consider findings from recent global research into meeting surroundings; not only the rooms themselves, but also the spaces where delegates congregate, network and socialize.

Learner Outcomes:

• Learn how meeting spaces are evolving to adopt to the new collaborative style of learning delivery that exists today.
• Develop a better understanding of how technology can help build multi-way communication in the room and for virtual participants.
• Consider the different venues types and non-traditional room layouts that help foster connections between the presenter and among delegates.

1.5 Clock Hours | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design 

The economy has changed. Products, services and even experiences are becoming commoditized, and only the truly remarkable stand out from the crowd. Crawl inside the mind of Larp Guru Claus Raasted and the memorable experience designer Paul Bulencea as they share their secrets of how to thrive in the Experience Economy. This keynote is an immersive experience in itself, where you get challenged and get yanked out of your comfort zone and where focus isn’t only on learning-by-listening, but also on learning-by-doing.

Learning Objectives:

• You will be provoked and confronted by your own prejudices.
• You will be inspired and want to think in new ways.
• You will get to hear the Batman joke. And understand what it means and why it is important.

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design 

What do Pokémon Go, driverless cars and the Internet of Things have to do with the meeting and event industry? They’re all technologies disrupting how we do business. Today, everyone with a smartphone is walking around with a fully-loaded production studio in their pocket. What will meetings look like in 2036?

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the behavioral science behind today's hottest technology trends.
• Understand how next-generation technology can be immediately applied to meetings and events.
• Evaluate the ways in which these technologies might disrupt the industry and the way people engage face-to-face in the future.

HSMAI and MPI have a strong partnership. This session provides an interactive discussion between executive members in both associations. What challenges do both hotels and meeting professionals face in this very dynamic and evolving environment and how can we reach solutions together to help our businesses continue to grow?

Learning Objectives:

• Explore how hotels review business opportunities as well as how meeting planners prospect and book destinations allowing each group to form new strategies and communication to get what is needed to deliver successful programs and meetings.
• Learn how hospitality revenue managers evaluate business opportunities in this new sales environment and how open communication with industry sales professionals can truly be a win/win for everyone.
• Hotels have space, planners have meetings – why is everything so difficult to book? Analyzing cities, dates, rates and space has never been more important. Applying new tactics to both handling and delivering RFP’s can be learned in this important session.